Maritime Heritage

Florida has one of the longest continuous coastlines in the country with more than 1,260 miles, not to mention the more than 12,000 miles of fishable rivers, streams and canals. Florida’s water resources and transportation along them have influenced many aspects of our culture. In Florida, there are both prehistoric and historic sites located offshore and in rivers and sinkholes - from submerged Native American canoes and habitation sites to the remains of sunken steamboats and schooners.

Some of Florida’s most impressive maritime sites date from the Colonial Period, such as two ships from the first colonization attempt by Spaniard Tristán de Luna, today known as the Emanuel Point and the Emanuel Point located just off shore in Pensacola Bay. The site is the oldest European shipwrecks known in Florida and the second oldest in the United States.

Lighthouses are another reminder that Florida’s history and development has been guided by the determination of seafarers and those brave enough to face the uncertainty of the sea. Learn more about the vital importance of these beacons for Florida history by visiting one of Florida’s many preserved lighthouses and museums.

The main mission of our museum is to work in close coordination with museum sponsored formal education programs providing enhancement of those programs with interactive exhibits, significant... Read More

The Man in the Sea Museum illustrates early attempts to work underwater through interpretive drawings, dioramas and written records. The large collection of rare diving equipment highlights... Read More

In the spring of 1861, Confederate authorities dismantled and removed the first-order Fresnel lens from the 1859 Pensacola Lighthouse. During the Union bombardment of Pensacola in November... Read More

Sail to Sunny Fort Lauderdale

Step back in time aboard El GaleónAndalucia, a unique replica of a 17thCentury Spanish galleon. El Galeón Andalucía will visit ports-of-call up and down the East Coast of the USA from Maryland to Florida from August 2014 to January 2015 on the Sail to Sunny Greater Fort Lauderdale Tour. Confirmed stays in Florida include Port Canaveral from November 14 through November 30, 2014, where you can experience Thanksgiving aboard a real seventeenth century sailing vessel!